Barrel construction



Jan 16, 1951 c. u. GRAMELsPAcl-IER 2,538,682

BARREL CONSTRUCTION Filed OCb. 29, 1945 FIGB m C nu w R mm v5. mu E C N. E R H .L C

Patented Jan. 16, 1951 'Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,538,682 BARRELk CONSTRUCTION Clarence U. Gramelspacher, Jasper, Ind., assignor to `l'asper Wood Crafters, Inc., Jasper, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application October 29, 1945, Serial No. 625,358

2 Claims.

This invention relates to bilge barrels.

An object of the invention is to provide a wooden bilge barrel having a metal lining therein that is what might be termed a one-piece lining.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bilge barrel constructed from sheets of plywood and having a substantially one-piece metal lining in the barrel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a Wooden bilge barrel, particularly cone structed from plywood, wherein the barrel and the metal lining thereof are produced as a unitary article so that the metal lining is disposed Within and formed to the contour of the barrel simultaneously with the forming of the barrel. Still another object of the invention is to provide a wooden bilge barrel wherein the heads oi the barrel are retained in position by the contoured form of the barrel and the metal lining positioned therein.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a barrel of the bilge type that is capable of being formed from individual sheets of plywood that are wrapped around a substantially onepiece metal lining and formed to shape around the metal lining, the metal lining also being formed to shape simultaneously with the forming of the barrel.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the drawings and the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a plywood bilge barrel formed according to the teachings of this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of .the barrel illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view `of the barrel illustrated in Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View showing the barrel and head construction.

Figure 5 is a modified arrangement of bilge barrel incorporating features of this invention.

In this invention the barrel that is the subject matter of invention herein is of the type known vas a bilge barrel,rwhich defines the applicants barrel, that is, the subject matter of invention, as a round, bulging vessel or cask of greater length than breadth. Barrels, as articles of commerce, are distinguished from cylinders or containers adapted to contain a quantity of material equal to the volumetric content of a barrel in that a barrel is a vessel having bulging sides.

In this invention a wooden barrel is provided with a metal lining that may be termed a onepiece lining that conforms strictly to the contour of the interior of the barrel to support the metal lining throughout the entire area thereof.

Wooden barrels have been particularly desired for many uses because of the strength and resiliency that is obtained in this type of barrel. Particularly, wooden barrels have been preferred to metal barrels in the distilling industry. However, it is Well-known that wooden barrels require cleaning and repitching of the interior of the barrels each time they are returned to the distillery for refilling. 'While the Wooden barrel is preferred in this industry, yet the industry has expressed the desire that they would appreciate having a wooden barrel with a metal lining, such asa stainless steel lining, to eliminate the necessity of repitching the barrels after they have been cleansed vand sterilized. Also, it is possible to use metal-lined Wooden barrels for containing other liquids that would be deleterious to the wood of the barrel, and would avoid all contamination in a liquid contained in a wooden barrel if a metal lining was used therein.

While the conventional stave-type of barrel is quite strong, yet it has been found that barrels constructed from plywood have a greater strength than conventional stave vbarrels even though the wall of the barrel is of considerable less thickness than that of the conventional stave barrel. I have previously manufactured and produced plywood barrels in accordance with the method set forth in the Gramelspacher Patent No. 2,365,- 754 dated December 26, 1944. manufacturing the Vmetal-linedA barrel of this invention, the process that is followed in manufacturing the same may be generally the process disclosed in the aforesaid patent, and in accordance with the improvements of that process as set forth in my copending application, Serial No. 625,357, filed October 29, 1945, now Patent No. 2,459,316. l

In general, the method of manufacturing a plywood barrel according to the method set forth in the Gramelspacher Patent No. 2,365,754 consists of cutting sheets of` plywood'withsubstantially V-shaped notches along longitudinaledges thereof. Two or more sheets of plywood arethen placed in face to face engagement with adhesive material therebetween with the V-shaped notches of one sheet of plywood laying within the uncut or substantially stave shaped portion of the ad.- jacent sheet of plywood. The assembled sheets of plywood,4 are then rolled into a cylindrical form and inserted into a mold'or form having abarrell Therefore, in

3 shaped interior. An eXpansible rubber bag is located within the barrel before being placed in the mold and is then iilled with uid under pressure to force the sheets of plywood outwardly against the interior surface of the barrelshaped mold, thus forming the side wall or" a barrel. Suitable heat is applied to the barrel to cause the adhesive material to bind the adjacent sheets of plywood together.

This general process is improved upon in my copending application, Serial No. 625,357, led October 29, 1945, in which a thin cylindrical container is used in place of the expansible rubber bag. The metal container in this instance. is filled with uid under pressure and expanded against the plywood to force the plywood to take the barrel-shaped form of the imier' surface of the mold. In this instance the metal liner be,- comes an integral part of the barrel.

`The barrel of this invention is, therefore, one that may be formed by the process disclosed in my copending application heretofore referred to and. consists of a plurality of individual sheets of plywood iii, II and I2 that are provided with V- shaped cuts-` therein along the longitudinal edges and formed into the shape of a barrel so that the adjacent edgesV of the cut sections ofthe plywoodsheets will. be in abutting relationship as illustrated in Figures l and- 3. The joints formed by thev V-cu-ts of adjacent sheets of plywoodY are staggered in the manner illustrated in: Figure. 3. Before the plywood. sheets are formed into the barrel shape a metal container i3 is positioned within the plywood sheets that are wrapped around Ythe container I3.

The heads I' and I5 of the barrel are then placed within: the unformed plywood cylinder aid disposed at each end of the metal container When. the metal container I3 is lled with iuid to:y expand the plywood sheets I9, I-l and i2 outwa'rdly against a barrel-shaped form in the manner disclosed` in my copendingapplication heretofore` referred to,l the metal liner intimately conforms' to the interior surface of the barrel during the forming operation thereof and forces the headsl I4 and I5: outwardly radially of the barrel. This` movement of the heads I t and t5 causes theY periphery of theV heads to be urged into the inner plywood sheet I2 as illustrated in Figure l whereby the heads are securely held between the innerwall ofthe barrel I2 and the ends i'and il of the metal liner I3.

The metalliner I3' may be formed of' a substantially cylindrical metal body in which the end wall-.s It' and I'I are flanged inwardly'as illustrated in Figure 2. Central closure plates i8 and is may be secured to the end' wall anges It' and Il by anyy suitable processing means whereby the joint between the members and IS andthe. end wall iianges I6 and I7, respectively, are sealed.

The metal liner IS may be any suitable liner, such as stainless steel, copper, aluminum or any other metal desired, depending. upon the type of liquider material that is to be carried within the barrel'. The metal liner is preferably a relatively thin sheet metal structure, which of its own weight would. not withstand any abuse or substantial internal pressure. Hence, the requirement that the metal liner be supported by the barrel throughout the surface area thereof, which support is obtained when the metal liner is eX- pan'ded against the' inner wall of the barrel. A metal liner of only a few thousandths of an inch thick is, therefore, all that is required for lining the barrel of this invention.

An adhesive material can be placed between the exterior surface of the metal liner and the interior surface of the barrel so that the metal container will be permanently bonded to the inside surface of the barrel after the adhesive has set. The bonding of the liner to the inside surface of the barrel can be occasioned simultaneously with the bonding of the plywood sheets together that make up the body of the barrel.

While the invention has been disclosed and described particularly with regard to a plywood barrel, yet it will be understood that other forms of woc-zden barrel construction can be used such as the conventional stave construction of a wooden barrel.. Irrthis instance the staves of the lbarrel would be assembled and a metal container placed within the assembled staves before the heads were placed in the ends of the barrel, and subsequently the-metal liner couldy be expanded intointimate contactwith the inner surface oi the barrel. Suchy a barrel is illustrated in Figure 5.

Or if the barrel is constructed of plywood',A it need not be constructed in theA specic manner heretofore disclosed and described, butvv the barrel would be formed ofV a single sheet of plywood that is rolled into the form of a cylinder and is formed by a wetV process or a steaming process to soften the wood to permit forming the desired barred shape into the sheet of plywood` While the construction of the barrel disclosed and described herein constitutes a preferred form of the invention, yet it will be understood that the device is capable of' alterationi without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that all modiiica-tions that fall within the scope of the appended claims are intended toy be included herein.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A plywood bilge barrel that consists o'f, a side wall structure comprising a plurality of layers of plywood formed to the bulging shape of a bilgev barrel andV adhesively secured together, a head positioned in each end of the' barrel inwardly of each end thereof in frictional engagement with thev inner surface of the side wall of the structure, said heads having a diameter at their outer faces greater than the normal inside diameter of the barrel at the point ofV contact between the barrel and the edge of the outer face, and a fluid-tight thin-walled sheet metal container in thorough intimate contact with the inner wall of the barrel and said heads, the outer peripheral edge'of said heads being embedded in the inner ply onlyA of the barrel. and that portion of the barrel beyond the headvv being converged inwardly whereby the heads are securely' held in position.

2. A plywood bilge barrelA that consists of, a side wall structure comprising a, plurality of layers of plywood formed to the bulging shape of'aV bilge barrel and adhesively secured together, a head positioned in each end of the barrel inwardly of each end thereof in frictional engagement with the inner surfaces of the side wall of the structure, said heads having a diameter at their outer faces greater than the normal inside diameter of the barrel at the point of Contact between thebarrel and the edge of the outer face, and a huid-tight thin-walled sheet metal container inthorough intimate Contact with theinner wall of the barrel and said heads and adhesively secured thereto, the outer peripheral edge of said heads beingembedded in the inner ply only of the barrel and that portion of the barrel beyond the head being converged inwardly whereby the heads are securely held in position.

CLARENCE U. GRAMELSPACI-IER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re., 6,044 Roberts Sept. 8, 1874 57,863 Carver Sept. 11, 1866 Number 10 Number Name Date Merrill Oct. 2, 1866 Kosztovits Feb. 19, 1907 Everett Dec. 3, 1907 Robinson Mar. 2, 1915 Hoyt Apr. 14, 1936 Perry Aug. 11, 1936 Gramelspacher Dec. 26, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1861 Great Britain 1902 Great Britain June 5, 1924 Great Britain 1936 

